Pumpkin Spice Macarons Recipe & Video

I
enjoy making these Pumpkin Spice Macarons. Their bright
orange color makes me instantly think of Fall. Both the
cookie and the cream cheese filling are flavored with Pumpkin Pie Spice which is a combination of
ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg. And I
couldn't resist adding a little
pumpkin puree to the filling. Although I don't need a special occasion to make
these little gems, they would make a welcome addition to the
Thanksgiving dessert table. And for Halloween you could take a
black food pen and
paint jack-o'-lantern faces on the tops of the cookies.

So a few notes on making these Macarons. There
is a detailed headnote (here) with
information on ingredients and technique that you may want to read if this
is the first time you're making Macarons. For these Macarons, Pumpkin Pie
Spice is added to the batter to give the cookies a mild pumpkin flavor. You
can buy Pumpkin Pie Spice but I give a recipe for making your own, as it's so
easy. Also, for coloring the meringue a bright orange color, my preference
is to use a soft gel paste (available
on amazon). Always color your meringue a little brighter than you want
the cookies to be, because the color will fade during baking.

I like to sandwich the meringue cookies
together with a tangy Cream Cheese Filling. Besides adding a little
Pumpkin Spice to the filling, there is also 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of
drained pure pumpkin puree. I drain the pumpkin puree overnight in the
refrigerator because
pumpkin contains quite a bit of water. If you don't drain it, you may
find your filling will be a little soft. Also, because the filling only
has a small amount of pumpkin puree, and pumpkin doesn't have a lot of
flavor, you can leave it out and the filling is still delicious.

Pumpkin Spice Macarons: Have ready
three baking sheets lined with
parchment paper.
To make all the Macarons the same size, I like to make a template. Take a
piece of parchment paper and draw 20 - 1 1/2 inch (3.75 cm) circles, spacing the
circles about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Place the template under your parchment
paper so you can use it as a guide.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: In a small bowl, mix the ground cinnamon with the ground
ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of
your electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment (can use a hand mixer),
beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, on medium low speed, just until soft peaks
form.
Gradually add the sugar, and beat, on high speed, until the
meringue holds a stiff peak
(when you slowly raise the whisk the meringue is straight up, no drooping).
Beat in the orange food coloring. Then, in three
additions, fold the ground almond/sugar mixture into the meringue. When folding,
cut through the meringue and then fold up and over, making sure to scrape the
bottom and sides of the bowl. Once the almond mixture is completely folded into the meringue (the batter will
fall back into the bowl in a thick ribbon) it is time to pipe the
Macarons.

Fill a
pastry bag, fitted with 1/2 inch (1 cm) (Wilton 1A) plain tip, with the batter. Pipe
rounds onto the parchment paper, using the template as
a guide. Then tap the baking sheet on the counter to break any air
bubbles (can also break air bubbles with the end of a toothpick). Let the Macarons sit at room temperature for about 30
to 60 minutes (depending on
the temperature and humidity of your kitchen) or until the tops of
the Macarons are no longer tacky.

Meanwhile,
preheat your oven to 325 degree F (160 degree C.

Bake the cookies (one sheet at a time) for about
13 - 15 minutes,
rotating the pan front to back, about halfway through baking.
The Macarons are done when you can just barely separate the cookies from the
parchment paper. (If you find
that the bottoms of the cookies brown too much, double sheet your baking pans.) Remove from oven and let the Macarons
cool on the baking sheet placed on a wire rack.

Pumpkin
Cream Cheese Filling: In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with
a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar,
vanilla extract, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Pumpkin Puree and beat until light and
fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the very soft cream cheese in two additions
(scraping the bowl after each addition), beating until incorporated and the
frosting is nice and smooth. Place in a piping bag fitted with a 1/4 inch (.5
cm) plain tip (I used a Wilton #12).
To assemble the Macarons, take two cookies and sandwich them together with
your filling (place filling on flat side of cookie). While you can serve the Macarons the day they are
made, these cookies are best when allowed to 'mature' for a day or two in the
refrigerator. Can be stored for about 5 days in the refrigerator or they can be
frozen for about one month. Serve cold or at room temperature.

100 grams
"aged" egg whites (about 4 large), at room temperature (Separate
eggs at least 24 hours before using (or up to five days).) Cover the egg
whites with
paper towel or cheesecloth and place in the refrigerator. Bring to room
temperature before using.)

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